Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal? The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years. Saudi Arabia
Analysis 'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance Backlash erupts after dancers perform to Missy Elliott’s “Work It,” exposing the tightrope between Sharaa’s outreach to the West and pressure from his Islamist base. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Culture The weight of war: Erdal Duman’s sculptures probe politics of violence As missiles cross again Middle Eastern skies, Turkish artist Erdal Duman’s brightly colored weapons ask an uncomfortable question: When does war really begin? Turkey
Culture 'Gesture of resistance': Gaza war and Iran repression in Oscars spotlight This year’s Oscars nominations include Middle Eastern films whose themes of war, government violence and protest have shone a spotlight on politics at home. Iran
Palestinian Museum revives solidarity posters with new workshop, exhibit The Palestinian Museum hosted a workshop for young artists interested in creating the "Palestinian posters" popular in recent decades, lending new life to the compelling images and deep symbolism of the art form. Palestine
Portraits of Lebanon’s domestic workers confront social prejudices Lebanese artist Chaza Charafeddine explores the dreams and discrimination of domestic workers by making them dress up as their heroes. Lebanon
The gatekeeper of Israeli democracy and rule of law Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber has drawn fire from Justice Minister Ayelet Shaket and the right by daring to criticize the government’s ‘loyalty in culture’ law and in the process publicly defending Israel's legal system against further weakening. Israel
Turks rediscover beloved Arabesque icon in new biopic A new film about the life of Muslum Gurses, the legendary singer whose career spanned decades of Turkey's tumultuous history, has opened to throngs of old and new fans. Turkey
Gaza University launches drama course, but few enroll Riyad Saidam, an actor and playwright, has just launched a drama school in the Gaza Strip, a dream he has had since the mid-1980s. Palestine
Jerusalem artist offers amulets for modern evils Eitam Tubul’s light-hearted art project proposes amulets for modern misfortunes such as hangovers, awkward silences or email hacking. Israel
Why this film has Iranian hard-liners breaking out in cold sweat More than 100 cinema halls across Iran, which belong to hard-line Hozeh Honari, have boycotted "Cold Sweat,” an award-winning film that tells the story of an Iranian futsal player who is banned from taking part in an international competition by her husband. Iran
Israeli artists campaign against 'Loyalty in Culture' law Stars of the Israeli entertainment industry prefer not to confront powerful Culture Minister Miri Regev on the "Loyalty in Culture" law, designed to defund cultural institutions "undermining the state’s values and symbols." Israel
Kurdish film festival screens, then withdraws, Israeli movie Israeli filmmakers were surprised to learn that their film had been selected to be shown at the Duhok International Film Festival, only to be notified later that it was removed from the competition after being screened. Iraq
Will Iran drive its musicians off the streets? The Iranian authorities are considering to permits for street performers, but musicians say it goes against the very spontaneous nature of their work. Iran
Middle East pins Oscar hopes on young directors From Lebanon to Egypt to Tunisia, regional countries' Academy Awards nominees for best foreign language film are mostly the works of young directors and center on the lives of young adults and children. Egypt
Aynur Dogan gets Americans to sing her tune "In the US, unlike Europe, many in the audience heard Kurdish music for the first time," says Aynur Dogan, a Kurdish-Alevi musician from Turkey, after her tour. Turkey
